Facebook is in trouble

Facebook, the two - billion - dollar colossus that has built its very foundations, faces a legal challenge that can cause a very great domino effect. And the possible consequences of which are incalculable. It all starts with a court decision in Berlin, which actually slaps the current moves on personal data applied to Feysbuk. A German judge, following the demands of a consumer association (Vzbv), has decided that it will be possible to register on Mark Zuckerberg's social network even without any obligation to provide authentic personal data.

That is, anyone who wants to sign up with a false nickname can do so. And no longer will it be considered the clause, contained in the general conditions of the social network, under which the headquarters company in Menlo Park can give companies third personal data and profile image. The Berlinese court's ruling has validated 8 clauses of general conditions and 5 preconditions. It has not yet turned white, and the Colossians has indicated that he will appeal the decision. But the impression is that Berlin has dark clouds for Facebook.

“Feysbuk hides preferences that do not favour privacy protection in its private centre, without providing enough information on this during user registration”, said consumer association lawyer Heiko Duenkel. A spokesman for the Zuckerberg company has reiterated the maximum commitment to respecting the rules, even in view of the new European norms coming in the spring: “we are working to ensure that our guide lines are easily understood and that the services provided by Facebook are reconciled to the” laws, he said of the Reuters news agency.

Zuckerberg in trouble

Meanwhile, it has caused much debate on the cover of the American weekly “Wired”, dedicated precisely to Feysbuk, which features a face-damaged Mark Zuckerberg after a boxing match. A metaphor that sums up the last two years: 24 months in which Facebook has ended many times in the midst of controversy. It all started with U.S. elections, which were won by Trump as well as the infamous Russianiagate: episodes that moved attention to the phenomenon of false news. Then the new algorithm, which penalises the news. And in the end, recent figures, which show a decline in the time that users spend on the platform, as well as an escape to other networks. For the last two years, the Wired article sets out a precise timeline that began in March 2016 with the departure of Benjamin Fearnow, one of the journalists involved in “Trading Topics”. Fearnow had described for Gizmodo an environment where conservative-oriented warnings were systematically removed”. Later, in June of that same year, the charges of Rupert Murdoch, who views Feysbuk as a threat to media existence. And then other stories: up to Russia and the new algorithm. A ring duel where Zuckerberg fought many opponents.

False News Dispels commercials

In the meantime, just in the last few hours, another threat comes from the Colossians of Unilever advertising. The second largest company in the world has informed Feisbuk and Gugle that it will stop advertising on their platforms if they do not do more to combat false news.

Just to create an idea, last year the company dropped $9 billion on Facebook.

The two Colossians are required to increase transparency, to protect minors from dangerous content: “being one of the world's leading advertising companies, we can't have an environment where our clients don't trust those who look online”, said a message to Keith Weed, chief marketing company multinational company.

“Unilever will not invest in platforms or facilities that do not protect our children, or create social divisions and provoke anger and hatred. We will give priority only to investments in responsible platforms that are committed to creating a positive impact on society”.

On the one hand, Facebook has to fight false news. On the other hand, he was forced by a court to accept users with false data. A hot potato. / Il Sole 24 hours ago the world.al